Understanding Connecticut Nursing Home Neglect Laws

Understanding Nursing Home Neglect Laws in Connecticut

Nursing home neglect is one of the most tragically underreported areas of personal injury in Connecticut. The elderly residents of nursing homes often cannot effectively advocate for their rights owning to physical and mental impairments. It’s therefore up to their loved ones—and personal injury firms like ours—to help these vulnerable individuals defend their right to a safe and comfortable environment.

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Understanding Connecticut Nursing Home Neglect Laws

Nursing home neglect is one of the most tragically underreported areas of personal injury in Connecticut. The elderly residents of nursing homes often cannot effectively advocate for their rights owning to physical and mental impairments. It’s therefore up to their loved ones—and personal injury firms like ours—to help these vulnerable individuals defend their right to a safe and comfortable environment.

Connecticut Nursing Home Neglect Laws Explained

If you or someone you love has sustained personal injury as a result of nursing home neglect, it’s important to be aware that there are a number of nursing home neglect laws in place to protect Connecticut residents. Nursing home neglect laws apply to all of the following scenarios:

Elder abuse. Any willful abuse of an elderly person that occurs in a nursing home, be it verbal, physical, or sexual, is punishable by law. Note that the definition of physical abuse includes the inappropriate or overly forceful use of physical restraints.

Neglect. Neglect can include failure to provide essential services (such as access to food, water, medication, and other basic needs) and failure to monitor residents appropriately. If an elderly person sustains a fall because he or she was not given the supervision and/or assistance he or she needs to get around safely, for example, you are entitled to make a personal injury claim. Likewise, medical malpractice is a common and serious form of nursing home neglect. If a resident is not provided with the medication he or she needs (regularly and on schedule), is given the wrong medication, or is not treated promptly when ill, that resident is entitled to compensation.

Financial maltreatment and fraud. Nursing home residents are vulnerable to many forms of financial abuse. They may have their valuables stolen, have cash taken from them, or be manipulated into sharing confidential financial information or modifying their wills. If you or a loved one has been the victim of financial maltreatment, then you may be entitled to both the money you are directly owed and additional compensation.

What to Do if You Suspect Nursing Home Neglect or Abuse

Within Connecticut, those who witness nursing home neglect or abuse of any kind are required to report the offense to the Commissioner of Social Services in the State of Connecticut. Understand that reporting such an offense is not optional; alerting the Commissioner about elder abuse is required by law in most instances. Doctors, nurses, psychiatrists, surgeons, patient advocates, and other professionals who interact with nursing home residents can face a fine of up to $2000 if they don’t alert the authorities to instances of suspected elder abuse.

Once you contact the Commissioner of Social Services, an investigation will begin. If the investigation turns up evidence of elder abuse or nursing home neglect, then the victim and the victim’s family will be entitled to financial compensation. Even if the initial investigation does not produce evidence of abuse, it’s a good idea to enlist the aid of a personal injury lawyer. In the event that signs of abuse are missed during the initial investigation, a lawyer can help you or your loved one prove your case.

It’s important to understand that seeking compensation is recommended even if the abuse or neglect did not incur direct financial losses for you or your loved one. By holding nursing homes responsible for the conditions they create, Connecticut residents show them that cost-cutting measures like employing fewer staff and using fewer regulatory measures simply do not pay over the long term. By working with a skilled nursing home neglect lawyer to secure justice, you can help to create a safer environment for all nursing home residents.

The statute of limitations placed on Connecticut nursing home neglect cases states that injured parties have just two years to file a claim in court. While this sounds like a long time, in reality, the lengthy elder abuse investigation process makes filing early extremely important. If you believe that your loved one is being physically or emotional abused or that he or she has been the victim of negligence, then you should contact a personal injury lawyer right away. We can help you secure a fair settlement for your family and hold negligent nursing home providers accountable.

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